Bruin's Ryan Donato Ranked as a Top NHL Prospect

Boston, MA - In the annual list of the top prospects in the National Hockey League, the Bruins have slotted one of their talents in at the fourteenth position on the list.

Drafted fifty-sixth overall in the NHL draft in 2014, Donato arguably deserves an even higher position in the list because of his talents and what he always has the potential to bring to the rink.

The twenty-two year old center was perennially one of the top players in the NCAA and was even a finalist for the Hobey Baker award, which is the trophy given to the best player in NCAA hockey. Additionally, in the Winter Olympics, Donato scored five goals and proved himself as a worthy talent to watch in the years to come.

One of the top young talents in the league, Donato proved himself to be an efficient scorer and an effective offensive talent to the point where the Boston Bruins deployed him for three games during the post-season. Facing off against the Toronto Maple Leafs and the Tampa Bay Lightning, Donato was hardly a presence, but he did rack up seven shots on goal and some fans even clamored for the young gun to be used in more desperate situations when the Bruins needed to score.

Heading into his sophomore season, Donato is expected to become even more of a threat in the Bruins lineup that is still dotted with some of the hardest playing wingers and defensivemen in the league.

Donato spent the off-season bulking up and getting stronger so he can be better prepared to play the center position. Additionally, Donato showed clear signs of weakness while playing defense and despite his offensive talents, these faults could become a liability going forward.

Fortunately, during the off-season, Donato did put in the work to improve his stature, meaning he should likely be higher than fourteenth on the list, but it is not necessary to quibble about arbitrary rankings.
That being said, because of Donato's prolific goal scoring abilities and versatility on offense, it seems likely that he'll be able to do all the proving of himself that he needs while he's on skates.